P23
Active Member
The entertainment district has massive parking lots in that picture too, impressive progress for any city.
- Thread starter Condo George
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Bogtrotter
Senior Member
Yeesh- Cleveland north. I remember staying at the Chelsea in the 70's, the Eaton centre and tower were a big deal then.
Miscreant
Senior Member
Ouch, 'Cleveland north.' Tough break. Never thought of it that way. You're right. Tough I do have crazy nostalgia for 80s Toronto when I was a kid.
The SkyDome going up? Oh man, that was a huge deal and I wasn't 10.
The SkyDome going up? Oh man, that was a huge deal and I wasn't 10.
Bogtrotter
Senior Member
It's a very unflattering photo, especially considering it was taken in 90's. Toronto was great in the 80's but the central waterfront was not much of an attraction, and for good reason.
isaidso
Senior Member
You'll likely find a lot of rebuttal to the notion that Toronto was great in the 80s. I find a lot of born and bred Torontonians hold that view but to an outsider things didn't turn the corner here till around 2000.
I first visited in 1980. The bank towers and CN Tower were impressive but the rest left a lot to be desired. I returned in 1991 and again in 1993. Both times I left thoroughly underwhelmed. Toronto had a reputation for being coma inducing for a reason. I gave the city a last look in 2000 (deciding between NYC, London, and Toronto) and to my delight I noticed a sea change happening here. It took a few years before things started rolling but I've not been disappointed with my decision to pick Toronto over those other 2. Before 2000? No way in hell would I have moved here.
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old boy
Senior Member
We thought Toronto was oh so cool when we got the TD Centre. It smashed the mold, a black box and alone. Space Odyssey stuff, kinda. The CN Tower was the next big thing.
kotsy
Senior Member
I love this city but I can't believe anyone who pick Toronto over NYC and London unless money was an issue.
kris
Active Member
Living in Canada is a big deciding factor. Unless your looking for something very specific Toronto has everything you need.
Weather wise they are all in the same kinda boat(minus the snow in London but their summers are not as nice)
Toronto in some ways is better than New York and London. Bigger doesn't always mean better. Of course everything comes down to personal preference.
It has taken a while to find a reference that I can trust enough—in this case a background file for the Sun Life/Harbour Plaza development prepared by City Planning—but the heights of the three towers have now been entered into the dataBase file. Sometimes it take longer than others to find a public document with the data!
One note: while Delta declares it to be a 46-storey building, they skip the 13th floor.
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One note: while Delta declares it to be a 46-storey building, they skip the 13th floor.
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Miscreant
Senior Member
No kidding. I'd sell a dominant limb if it meant I could live, without financial worry, in NYC. It's just the complete apex of all my urban nerdiness.
devjohnson
Active Member
Coming from someone who has lived both in NYC and Toronto, this is far from the truth.
I love Toronto because it's simply more of a liveable city. A more residential feel, more relaxed and less rushed, higher quality local businesses within the downtown core (most of Manhattan is gentrified 10x over now), access to amazing green spaces and parks, better food in my opinion. The list goes on.
Like said above, bigger doesn't always mean better. I lived in Upper West Side, and I felt sometimes lack of areas to 'escape'. My stress level was much higher. I love visiting NYC now, but living there is a whole different story for me personally.
Miscreant
Senior Member
That's an insightful point there--I glamorize NYC, but I have noticed that, especially as I've gotten older, I've found living in the city has increased my stress and anxiety levels and more and more I think about really simplifying. I suspect that'd be the case plus some if I were in NYC. I think that I'll eventually leave Toronto myself for something quieter and far slower.
Toronto was never Cleveland north. Declining industrial in the waterfront was more than compensated by Toronto booming in all other areas. Cleveland declined across the board.
Bogtrotter
Senior Member
Indeed- as mentioned I thought it was great in the 80's, and 90's for that matter. I was referring specifically to that photo and the large industrial land that dominated and divided the waterfront. A friend who recently returned from 10+ years in the states can't believe the changes down there.
TrickyRicky
Senior Member
In related news I believe that the new Thomson's Reuters technology centre associated with the press release regarding the 400 new jobs being created in Toronto by that company is slated to be located in this complex. I also believe it was mentioned that the CEO was relocating to Toronto. Interesting development and topical to the discussion above.